The bright stage lights of the Glenn D. Reeves Fine Arts Center at Boswell High School shone down on the final two competitors in the Area 12 Regional Spelling Bee. After multiple rounds of fierce competition, Ekamjot "Ekam" Virk, an eighth-grade student from Wayside Middle School, stood ready for his championship word.
The regional spelling bee, held on January 31, brought together around 40 campus spelling bee champions from EMS ISD, Azle ISD, Castleberry ISD, Lake Worth ISD, and White Settlement ISD. Students from third through eighth grade competed for the regional title and a chance to advance to the next level of competition.
For Virk, this victory was years in the making.
"Sixth grade was my first year. I didn’t know much about it, but I tried it out and ended up winning my school bee. I got third at the regional bee, and that gave me motivation for the next year," Virk said. "In seventh grade, I practiced so hard and I won my school bee again, but I finished second at regionals."
Determined to improve, Virk refined his study methods. He used an app loaded with potential words, memorized definitions and origins, and practiced daily with his mother, who quizzed him on difficult words.
"This year, I spent all my time studying and working on the spelling bee every day," Virk said. "When we got to the final 10 students, I reminded myself to stay confident. Then, in one round, eight competitors were eliminated, and suddenly it was just me and one other speller. I knew I had to win."
When Aaron Maharian, a Chisholm Ridge Elementary School fourth grader misspelled his first word in the final round, it was Virk's moment. He spelled his first word correctly. Then it came down to the championship word. Virk asked for every detail —definition, part of speech, and pronunciation—and then carefully spelled it correctly and secured the victory.
"I was so excited because I got a big trophy, and I worked really hard for this," he said. "Out of all the students in my school and the whole region, I won. I’m really proud of that."
With this win, Virk now advances to the Area Spelling Bee in Fort Worth in March. The winner of that competition will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"My dad keeps telling me he knows I’ll win the next round because it’s the same packet of words as the regional bee, and there are only a couple I don’t know," Virk said. "If I win at Area, I’ll go to Nationals, and that would be huge. If you win Nationals, you get $50,000 and a huge trophy!"
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Area 12 Regional Spelling Bee, and best of luck to Ekam as he prepares for the next stage of competition. We are #EMSproud!
